As you well know, there are many sides to [tag]baseball coach jobs[/tag]. One of these is to have a working knowledge of common [tag]sports injuries[/tag]. One common injury is a [tag]separated shoulder[/tag]. Your [tag]baseball[/tag] players need your [tag]coaching[/tag] help for injuries as much as they need your help in playing baseball.

Description: A separated shoulder is the stretching or tearing of the ligaments that connect the bones in the shoulder. When they have been injured, the shoulder does not align properly and is pronounced separated. Separated shoulders are often caused by a blow to the front of the shoulder or falling on an outstretched hand. This is an impact injury, not a repetitive motion injury, and can happen suddenly. Shoulder pain and tenderness accompany this injury. On occasion, a small bump can occur on the top of the shoulder. It is sometimes accompanied by numbness, swelling, and stiffness. Also, it may be hard to move the arm on the side that is injured. Athletes need to be X-rayed to determine the full extent of the damage.

A separated shoulder is different from a dislocated shoulder. With a dislocated shoulder, the upper arm bone is dislocated from the shoulder socket. With a separated shoulder, the clavicle (collarbone) and scapula are separated from each other. The treatment of each injury is different and they should not be confused.

There are many different types of shoulder separation. For this reason, it is important to see a doctor to determine the best way to treat your athlete’s specific injury.